Strange Bedfellows
by klarolineepiclove
Summary: She had everything she could have wanted. So how was it Caroline Forbes found herself suddenly single and being forced to room with her womanizing coworker all in one week? Suddenly Caroline is being forced to reevaluate everything she believed in, but as she searches for answers, can she forget about the one that got away and handle the one she never saw coming? Klaroline, AU/AH


_**Strange Bedfellows**_

_**One minute she had it all: successful career, doting boyfriend, everything she could have ever wanted. So how was it Caroline Forbes found herself suddenly single and being forced to room with her womanizing coworker all in one week? Suddenly Caroline is being forced to reevaluate everything she believed in, but as she searches for answers, can she forget about the one that got away-and handle the one she never saw coming?**_

**A.N. Hello, friends! Welcome to yet ****_another_**** adventure where I attempt to write and let Klaroline take creative control. This time around, we've got a comedic turn on things, with a new brOTP taking hold: Carenzo. So hopefully you all enjoy this one as much as you have the others, and I can't wait to see where this story takes us thing time.**

**Thank you to Miranda, Becky and Katie for their beta help with this. Miranda often talks me off ledges during writing ventures, so my thanks is innumerable ****with her.**

**Chapter One**

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"Two bedroom, one and a half bath…"

"Half baths are atrocious. No."

Caroline sighed as she peered over the folded newspaper in her hand. Her brunette companion was lounging in a chair across the table, a steaming mug in one hand. Katherine was staring at her as she swiped her finger through the whipped topping, arching a pair of perfectly sculpted eyebrows as she shrugged. "It's true. Gross."

Rolling her eyes, Caroline leaned back in her seat, highlighter poised over the paper as she scanned the listings once more. "Okay. Two bedrooms, one bath, East Brooklyn."

"Brooklyn? Absolutely not. You'd get mugged just running down to the mailbox, and that's if you're lucky."

"Fine. Upper Manhattan, park view, one bedroom—"

Katherine barked out a laugh, grinning as she brought her whipped cream covered finger to her lips. "One bedroom? Where would I stay?"

"Maybe your own place, considering this apartment hunt isn't for you."

Katherine smirked, leaning back and propping her stiletto heeled feet on the table. "Sorry, chick pea, but this apartment hunt isn't for you either." She chuckled when her blonde friend merely hummed, turning her attention back the paper in her hands. "You are sloshing through the classifieds looking for your Barbie Dream House all because of a cryptic message on your voicemail. One that might not mean what you even think it means."

Caroline bit the inside of her cheek as Katherine spoke. It wasn't the first time the brunette had made her opinion known. After all, it was what Katherine was famous for—a no nonsense, straight shooting opinion. As the columnist for the New York Bugle's society section, Katherine Pierce was a top notch gossip. Caroline had lost count over the number of celebrities and politicians she'd ripped apart with her scathing remarks. She pointed out the obvious, and didn't sugar coat anything, which led to a very passionate love/hate relationship with their readers and the general public. As long as they weren't the victims of Katherine's weekly reports, they drank up every juicy detail she laid out on the page.

Her most recent remarks, however, seemed to revolve around Caroline. Or, well, Caroline and her relationship, that is.

Since Caroline had told Katherine about Tyler and the "cryptic" message he'd left on her machine three days ago, about how they needed to discuss their future and their next steps, the gossip queen had been the poster child for pessimism._ "It just seems a little too cryptic to mean 'let's move in together,' you know?"_

_"__Well, what else would the next step be? I mean, for God's sakes, we've been together for over three years, Katherine. It was going to happen sooner or later. Clearly Tyler decided on sooner."_

_She tried to ignore the skeptical arch of the brunette's brow as she stared at her._

_Caroline was an eternal optimist, as Katherine liked to point out. And it served her well, as the advice columnist for the New York Bugle. While answering anonymous letters about family spats and bad breakups hadn't originally been her idea of a career, she'd found her niche among advice to take things slow, talk things out, and occasionally kick the certain someone to the curb. And every now and then, she'd get a reply letter, thanking her for her advice and letting her know things had worked out. Those letters always meant a lot to her._

_"__Oh, please, you love it because you get to boss people around," Katherine would always quip, and she'd roll her eyes and scan the next letter with a smile._

_Katherine hummed, propping her chin on her hand as she peered down at her computer screen. "Whatever you say, chick pea."_

Caroline ignored the burning gaze of her friend, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she slashed at the paper with her highlighter. "Upper East Side?" she asked hopefully, her mind drifting to bright color patterns with a balcony overlooking the city, her socked feet resting across Tyler's lap as they stretched across a luscious duvet in the early morning hours.

Katherine sighed, more than familiar with Caroline's habit of deflection, and shrugged, heels scraping the table as she slid her feet back to the floor. "It's doable, I suppose…how close to Prada are we talking?"

Caroline smiled, her eyes lifting to the doorway when she heard approaching footsteps. She recognized the petite form standing just outside the break room as one of the new interns. Greta Martin was a dark skinned beauty with long dark hair, and a zest for journalism that Caroline always admired. But at the moment, all Caroline could do was scoff and arch an eyebrow as she watched Greta giggle and grin up at the man leaning on the doorjamb next to her.

As the resident Arts columnist for the New York Bugle, Klaus Mikaelson exuded charm and sophistication which, when coupled with his good looks and European accent, led to the cocky, egotistical jerk Caroline knew today.

Klaus had started at the newspaper not long after Caroline, sweeping in with his well traveled portfolio and seemingly never-ending knowledge of all things happening in the art world. At first she'd been impressed. She'd been excited to see what he would bring to their paper with his travels and know-how. Given his age she was sure he could do it in a way that was relatable to their readers, most of whom she had no doubt had barely been out of the state, let alone across the world. She'd welcomed him with a smile and a handshake, even ignoring the way his eyes lingered a bit too long on her chest and the way his smile widened when Tiki Palmer swayed her hips passed them with her cart of coffee.

If only she'd realized then what a distaste she would develop for the pompous, womanizing journalist.

Sensing her distraction, Katherine finally looked up, following her line of sight and groaning when she saw the duo in the doorway. "Yuck."

"Greta's the last of the new bunch he hasn't broken in yet," Caroline quipped with a shake of her head, turning back to her newspaper even though her eyes remained on Klaus and Greta.

"You'd think those dimwitted women would talk to each other or something," Katherine commented, brown curls flying as she turned her head. "You know, share their experiences and what not. Warn each other off about the walking stud bull who just wants a new notch in the bedpost."

Caroline sighed, circling a two bedroom ad across from Central Park. "Well, they're young and stupid."

"Doesn't give you much hope for the youth of the future, does it?" Katherine mused, dipping her finger into her cappuccino once more.

The blonde shook her head with a smile, lifting her gaze once more to see Klaus ducking his head towards Greta, lips brushing her ear as his hand danced around her hips, an impossibly girlish giggle slipping past the young girl's lips. Klaus shot Greta a roguish smirk, shooting her a wink as he leaned back, whispering something to her quietly before turning and heading into the conference room.

Caroline's gaze met Greta's, her brows lifting when the younger girl's skin darkened and she turned around quickly, flustered when she realized they'd had an audience. The blonde rolled her eyes, watching as Klaus headed for the coffee machine, flipping a mug into his hands. "Wasn't there a sexual harassment seminar not too long ago, Kat? Something about…inappropriate work behavior or something like that?" she asked, smirking when Klaus turned to her with a sigh and an eyeroll.

Katherine shrugged, sipping her steaming beverage with a smirk.

"Well, clearly you weren't paying attention, if what you witnessed is something you'd categorize as harassment, sweetheart," Klaus crooned, shaking several sugar packets and dumping them into his coffee.

"Mmm, preying on the youth and innocence of hopeful young women sounds pretty despicable to me," Katherine chimed in.

Klaus laughed, making his way towards their small table as he lifted the steaming mug to his lips. "Believe me, Greta is far from the picture of innocence, and is able to do such wondrous things that would make even the most tarnished lady of the night blush, but left me quite satisfied."

Caroline shook her head, cringing. "You're so gross," she scoffed, shifting in her seat.

"Well, to each their own," Klaus replied, smirking as he reached out and snatched the newspaper from Caroline's grasp, grinning at her affronted gasp, twisting out of the grasp of her reaching hand. "Keeping an eye on the competition, love?"

"Klaus, would you just—,"

"Oh, in need of a change of scenery then? You know, you'd be surprised how many serial killers and vagrants advertise in the classifieds. Hardly safe in the slightest bit."

Caroline gritted her teeth as she stood next to him, narrowing her eyes when he peeked at her from the corner of his, lifting the mug to his smirking lips. She crossed her arms, nodding in annoyance. "Yes, and sexual perverts are apparently writing for the arts column. Would you give it back, please?"

"Not to mention they're always so deceitful. 'Cozy' usually means small, 'spacious' no doubt means there are walls missing, and 'pet friendly,' well, I'm afraid you're most likely to encounter wild animals roaming the halls. Can't trust the classifieds in the slightest."

"See?" Katherine said, smiling as tossed her dark curls over her shoulder. "Even the neanderthal understands that."

Caroline sighed at the grin the two shared, reaching out and snatching the paper from Klaus' hands, tucking it beneath her arm as she crossed them over her chest once more. "Go ahead, make your fun. I don't care," she huffed.

"You shouldn't be so sensitive, sweetheart." He watched the blonde roll her eyes and settle into her seat, snapping the paper back to her eye line and lifting a pink highlighter into her hand. "Though, you know, Caroline, if you're in need of a new place of residence, I do happen to be renting out the second bedroom of my flat." When she snapped her gaze up towards him, he shrugged. "Mate of mine was living there, but he's gone and met a girl, and the two are well on their way to their happily ever afters in a little condo across the city, so…"

"Wait," Caroline squinted, a bubble of laughter slipping past her lips as she sat the paper down and twisted in her seat to look at him. "You have a friend?"

"Yes, many as a matter of fact. Shocking, I'm well aware."

"I think what's shocking here is the fact that Casanova just invited you to move in with him," Katherine stated, chuckling. "Do you even realize what an absolute disaster that would be, Mikaelson?"

"Well, not so much of one. Caroline gets to live in a place where she's not likely to be murdered in her sleep, and I gain a flatmate who's far less crazy than most of lunatics I'd be interviewing. It's quite a win-win, in my opinion."

Caroline laughed, shaking her head. "Well, as appealing as rooming with the devil in disguise may be," she said, ignoring his eye roll, "it might be a little crowded, what with Tyler moving in too."

"Oh, so the apartment hunt is for a love nest with the young Mr. Lockwood," Klaus mocked, shaking his head as he turned on his heel.

Caroline scoffed. "It is not a love nest, and you can keep the judgement to yourself, Mr. I-Have-A-Flavor-Of-The-Week-Every-Freaking-Day."

"Yes, to which I go into with no delusions that it's more than what it is. There's no foolish notions of true love and happy endings." He stopped his steps, shrugging with a grin. "Well…"

"Oh my God," Caroline laughed, slamming the paper back onto the table. "You are gross and a cynic. What a catch of a roommate you'd turn out to be."

Klaus chuckled, slipping his hand into the pocket of his slacks as he took another sip of his coffee. "Well, you'll apparently never know, what with you riding off into the sunset with your Prince Charming." He shook his head at her glare, smiling, a pair of identical dimples appearing in his cheeks. "Let me know when that fairytale comes to an end, sweetheart. My offer may still stand."

He grinned again, turning on his heel and striding down the hall, leaving Caroline to glare after him. She shook her head, huffing as she threw herself further against her seat. A quiet chuckle from the brunette across from her drew her attention, and she lifted a brow as she met her friend's amused gaze.

"You two should have a sitcom."

Caroline rolled her eyes, scoffing with a smile, and turned back to her apartment hunt.

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"It took a lot of negotiation, but I think we've landed Marquez a pretty sweet deal with the Broncos, so we can file it in the win column, I guess."

Caroline nodded with a smile as she raised her wineglass to her lips, eyes sparkling as they raptly watched the man across the table as he spoke.

Tyler Lockwood had always carried himself with a confidence that she envied. When she met him her first weekend in New York-one of those god awful mixers Katherine had dragged her to help her acclimate away from her "small town sadness"-she'd found his obvious cockiness and smug grin off putting. He'd reminded her of the jocks from her high school, overconfident and over enthused, and she'd not wanted a thing to do with him.

He traveled in the same social circles as Katherine did, however, and their paths continued to cross. She'd listen to him regale her with the facts of his jobs as a sports agent-"The best my company has seen in a decade they told me. Not that I want to brag or anything."-and politely brush off his suggestions that they go for a drink sometime.

She'd found him insufferable and egotistical, and she'd wanted nothing to do with him.

And then his father had died.

She remembered running into him at a little hole in the wall bar, nearly stopping in her steps with a grimace when she'd recognized his profile as he slouched over the counter, an open bottle of whiskey next him as he'd lifted shot after shot to his lips. Her grimace had faded into a frown when he'd turned and spotted her, barely sparing her a second glance before he turned back to his drink, and her frown had become concern because she'd never seen Tyler Lockwood look so much in despair as she had in that moment. So she'd took a seat next to him, letting him slide another glass towards her and listened as he told her how her father had died from a sudden aneurysm in the middle of a town meeting.

She'd seen a different side to Tyler then. She'd seen past the stuck up jock, the man with an ego, and seen a young boy who'd lost his father. She'd seen that the airs he put on and the image he tried to project were all just that-fake. A way to try to show his father that he was more than the old man had ever assumed he could be. She'd seen insecurity and vulnerability, and she'd connected with him over that never forgotten feeling about just not being enough for parents who expected a little too much.

And so she'd given him a chance after that. And then another. And another.

And three years later, here they sat.

Tyler sighed, tilting his head as he regarded her with dark eyes, a smile tugging at his lips. "Anyway...I've been rambling forever. I know you find all this stuff boring."

Caroline scrunched her nose with a smile, blonde curls swaying around her shoulders as she shook her head. "That's so not true." Tyler smirked knowingly, narrowing his gaze, and she laughed, shrugging. "Okay, maybe I get a little bored. But, I mean, it's fine. It's, you know...you. And I like you, so I like it."

Tyler's face softened, and he leaned forward in his chair, reaching across the table and taking her hand in his. "I like you too, Care," he said quietly, thumb tracing the top of her hand as he held her gaze. "These last three years have been...so amazing. You've been so amazing. The way you were after my dad died, and the promotions and the traveling, and all of it. You've been more than I ever could have hoped for. And I'm so grateful for you, Caroline."

Caroline laughed softly, curling her fingers into his palm. "Come on, Tyler. You don't have to be grateful for anything."

"Yeah, I do," he replied. "I mean...I don't know that I'd have gotten through everything without you. And you mean...so much to me, Caroline. I need you to know that."

She nodded, smile blinding as her heart thundered in her chest. "I do."

"And I've been doing a lot of thinking, the last couple months. About us and where we are...where we're going." His tongue darted out to lick his lips as he shifted in his seat. "I think, um...I think it's time for us to...take a break. For awhile."

_Take a break. For awhile._

_Take a break._

_Wait. What?_

"Wait...what?" Caroline asked, brow furrowed as she frowned. She felt her fingers slipping from his grasp as she pulled away, blinking into his downcast face as she tried to register his words. "Take a break...wait, are you...are you seriously breaking up with me right now?"

Tyler closed his eyes as he sighed, shaking his head as he slid his hands back towards the edge of the table. "Care…look, it's just...things are different now."

Caroline's eyes widened as she stared at him, surprised to feel a surge of anger welling in her chest instead of the dread that usually came with words preceding a breakup.

"Look, we've both been on such different paths this last year. I'm growing with the firm, and you've got your newspaper thing."

Her eyes narrowed at the flippant way he mentioned her career.

"We've barely seen each other and this distance...I don't know, it's just kind of put some things into perspective for me that weren't there before."

His use of the distance excuse, something that Caroline had brought up to him time and time again and he'd shot down her every concern, stating that not even an entire country between them could ever diminish the love they had for each other, had her frowning, and she stared at him until he finally lifted his gaze, his dark eyes meeting hers. There was something off in them, some bit of information she could see him hiding behind an uncomfortable gaze, and she felt her shoulders drop. She recognized that look in his eyes.

Her father had carried that same look for months before he finally admitted to her mother that he had fallen in love with someone else.

"Who is she?"

Tyler flinched slightly, running a hand along the back of his suit collar as he shifted in his head. "Caroline…"

"Who is she, Tyler?" she demanded, flattening her hands on the table and glaring him down.

He sighed. "Hayley."

A beat of silence settled between them as the name registered with her, and then her face was scrunching, hands waving in the air in front of her face as a bark of laughter left her lips. "_Hayley_? As in, 'oh, don't worry babe, she's someone I just work with' Hayley?" The anger in the pit of her stomach had suddenly turned to rage, the image of a pouty lipped brunette in skin tight dresses and sultry glances filling her mind. The newest agent to join the sports firm, Hayley Marshall had been paired with Tyler for training sessions. Caroline could remember being hesitant when Tyler had introduced them at an office party over a year ago, the way the other girl had smirked and leaned against her boyfriend never quite sitting well with her. Tyler had always brushed off her concerns, making her feel like she was being shallow and insecure, and she'd always end up shaking them off with a smile and a laugh as he'd press kiss to her cheek.

Apparently her concerns had been very valid.

"You and Hayley?" she said, her voice rising as the reality of the situation she was in finally set in.

"Keep your voice down," Tyler scolded, gaze darting to the tables around them where their occupants had begun to cast curious glances in their direction.

"Keep my voice down?" Caroline snapped, slamming her hands onto the table, their plates rattling. "Well, I'm sorry, Tyler, but maybe you should have opted for a more private venue for your Hayley bombshell and breakup speech."

"Excuse me for wanting to make this as easy as possible," Tyler snapped back, his dark eyes narrowed and his voice low as he leaned towards her over the table. "Look, Caroline, I'm sorry that we're having to do this at all, but it's just the way it's turned out, okay? I couldn't keep stringing you along, trying to force myself to feel things that I just don't feel anymore."

"And you feel them with Hayley?" Caroline asked, her voice softer and her gaze not quite as heated. She could feel the rawness in her throat, and the burn of tears slowly making their way to the surface. She could feel the world she thought she'd known slowly crumbling down around her.

Tyler stared at her, his jaw clenching, eyes looking everywhere but her. The murmur of the restaurant settled around them, the clinking of glasses and the soft chitchat of the couples surrounding them, and then finally he met her gaze. He sighed, fingers tapping against the white tablecloth. "There's something there. Something...something I can't really explain. But I have to figure out. Me and her...I have to see what it is."

Caroline flinched, reeling back into her chair, one hand reaching up to cradle her forehead as she used the other to push herself away from the table.

Tyler reached out for her, his hand sliding across the table. "Caroline, I'm sorry."

She moved before the thought even really took hold, grabbing her glass of champagne and quickly tossing the liquid into his face. He pulled back, spluttering as he reached for the napkin by his plate, and Caroline slammed her glass back onto the table, her chair screeching across the floor as she shot to her feet.

She could feel the dozens of eyes following her as she grabbed her purse and turned on her heel, storming towards the front of the restaurant.

"Mature, Care," Tyler's words yelled at her back. "Real mature."

"Go fuck yourself," she yelled over her shoulder, glaring at the maitre 'd as he rushed towards their table. The man held up his hands as she stormed past him, and Caroline bit the inside of her cheek to muffle the sob welling in her chest, even as the tears began to course down her cheeks.

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"I always told you that bloke was no good."

Caroline groaned as she buried her face in her hands, elbows on the table as she slumped in her seat. "I seriously do not need an 'I-told-you-so' right now, Enzo."

Enzo replied with a short chuckle, and Caroline slid her hands down her face as she heard the faint clinking as he sat two glasses on the table next to her. She rested her chin in her hands, watching as the man turned back from the counter with a glass bottle, the bourbon sloshing against the sides as he made his way to the table.

The lid was quickly twisted off and away, clattering to the ground as he poured the amber colored liquid into the glasses, his dark brows lifted as he shrugged. "No, but you could use a drink." He slid into the chair next to her, plopping the bottle down with a thunk and sliding one of the glasses towards her with a smirk. "Bottoms up, Gorgeous."

She sighed as her fingers wrapped around the glass, lifting it to her lips and tossing it back with a grimace, the liquid burning a trail down her throat. She cringed as she set the glass back on the table, pushing her hair back from her face and watching as her best friend simply refilled the glass even as he knocked back his own.

She cupped the shot glass in her hands, fingers tracing the rim, and her vision blurred as she felt the welling of tears coming forth again. She shook her head with a sigh, lips quivering, and she whispered, "I don't know what to do."

Across the table, her companion was silent. His glass scraped across the table as he moved it slightly, and his chair creaked as he shifted more towards her.

Caroline Forbes and Lorenzo Augustine had been friends since freshman year of college. They'd shared the same coed dormitory, their rooms across the hall from the other, and from the start Caroline had known there was something about the roguish Brit she'd liked. Sure, she found him aggravating. He was cocky and flirtatious, always with some lewd comment on his lips and a lingering glance that had her rolling her eyes.

They had the same English Lit course at the start of the week, so every morning they'd traipse their way across campus together, Caroline insulting him after every flirty comment, and somewhere between the start and end of the semester, they'd fallen into a comfortable groove of friendship.

It wasn't until Enzo had found her crying in the hall of their dorm at three in the morning-makeup running and one stiletto heel snapped off, after discovering that Liam Davis, the handsome Pre-Med student she'd been falling head over heels for all year, had only been seeing her as an excuse to get close to Elena Gilbert, her childhood friend and roommate who Caroline had always felt a little insecure around-did their casual friendship turn into the lifelong bond they shared now.

She still remembered Enzo crouching down next to her, cupping her chin in his hand and lifting her face to his. She remembered the way his jaw clenched and his eyes darkened for the brief moment before they softened, and he was lifting her into his arms and pushing open the door to his room. He'd taken care of her that night, loaning her a too big pair of sweatpants and T-shirt, tucking her into his bed as he spread across the futon across the room, his long legs stretching uncomfortably off its edge as he told her in the darkness that she was strong enough to get through this._ "If he can't see that you're worth a dozen Elena Gilberts, than he's not worth your time, Gorgeous."_

The next day she'd passed Liam on the Quad. He'd been fervently trying to avoid her gaze, ducking his head as he hurried past, but she'd caught sight of the already blackening eye and bruise forming on the man's jaw.

She found Enzo waiting for her after her Biology class, two cups of frozen yogurt in his hands and unrepentant smirk on his face. She hadn't scolded him, just gave him a teasing glare, taking the Styrofoam cup from his hand with a smile and falling into step next to him. She'd bumped his shoulder, _"You could have just let me marinate in my self pity alone, you know." He'd shrugged, lifting his spoon to his mouth. "Why do that when it's much more fun to just marinate with you?" He'd winked at her then, his lips quirking up into his infamous smirk. "Gotta keep you smiling, Gorgeous."_

And now, nearly eight years later, they were in the same situation.

Caroline dropped her head into her hands, sniffling. "God, I should have just seen it coming. I feel so blindsided. We were having two entirely different conversations, and while I'm here planning my future with him, and he's just...ugh." She leaned into her hand, lifting her red rimmed gaze to see Enzo staring at her. "Katherine was right."

Enzo grimaced, raising his glass to his lips. "That's a horrifying thought."

She laughed softly, tucking her ankles behind the legs of the chair as she sat up straighter, running her hands down her face. "She was though...she told me I was being quick to read into his messages. She told me that kind of message after that much distance never meant anything good, but I refused to listen. I told her me and Tyler were more than that." She sighed. "God, I'm an idiot."

"You're a lot of things, Caroline Forbes, but an idiot isn't one of them."

Caroline laughed, raising her head. "Enzo...I gave up my apartment because of a message from Tyler. I literally gave up the roof over my head because I read too much into a voicemail, and now, in less than two and half weeks, I will have nowhere to live. I'm going to be homeless. A dumb, stupid homeless idiot who can't see past her own naive dreams and hopeless optimism." She sunk back into her chair, staring despairingly at the ceiling. "Oh, God, this isn't happening."

"Relax, so you'll just crash here for awhile."

Caroline rolled her head against the back of the chair, lifting a brow as she narrowed her gaze. "Here? And what, sleep on the fold out futon and live off beer and Ramen Noodles while you're off saving lives and snagging NYFD groupies?"

While Caroline had found her niche at her small label newspaper, Enzo had found his as a member of the local fire department. He'd quickly worked his way up the ranks, landing a captain position a few short years after joining the station. He loved the thrill, and while she often worried about him every time she spotted a blaze happening on the evening news, she knew Enzo was smart and careful. He also loved the attention, and she'd lost count of how often women had swooned over him in his black T-shirts and ash covered tactical pants.

His job often had him away from his apartment days at a time, which was why it never bothered him living in the small studio apartment with nothing more than nonperishable food lining his cupboards.

Enzo shrugged. "Worked during university."

Caroline laughed, shaking her head.

"Alright, so you crash with someone else who has more room and is home more often. Bonnie was planning a move down here before too long, wasn't she?"

Bonnie Bennett was the other best friend of their little trio, though the dark skinned elementary school teacher was more partial to Caroline than Enzo. She'd transferred to their college sophomore year, and after graduating had taken a job in New Jersey teaching at a private elementary school. She'd been looking to move closer to the city in the last few years, even applying to several schools for the upcoming school years.

"She won't be here for months if she does," Caroline replied sadly.

"Well, we can't have you rooming with Katherine," Enzo said with distaste, his lip curling up at the thought of the dark haired brunette whom he'd never been able to get along with. Too much ego and not even compatibility, Caroline had always told them. He sighed with a hum, cocking his head as he poured himself another shot. "Anyone else come to mind?"

The memory of a sarcastic smirk and an offer of a spare room suddenly filled her head, and Caroline dropped her head back with a groan. She could feel Enzo's confused gaze on her as she covered her face with her hands. "Unfortunately, yes," she said, her words muffled as she ran her hands down her face. "God, fuck Tyler and the day I met him."

"Something tells me this isn't a happy prospect."

Caroline sighed, draping her hands over her stomach as she looked at him.

She never was a fan of eating crow.

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Caroline sighed as she shifted the duffel bag on her shoulder, her fingers tightening around the handle of the suitcase at her feet. The hallway was quiet as she rapped on the door, the beige carpet fraying slightly under her feet.

She lifted her head when she heard soft footsteps approaching from the other side of the door, and she forced a small smile onto her face as it swung open, swallowing the groan welling in her throat as she looked at the smirking face of her new roommate.

"Well, well…welcome to the lair of the devil, sweetheart." He grinned, stepping back and waving his arm towards the interior of the apartment. "Do make yourself at home."

**0000000000**

**Oh, dear. Our OTP is in for quite an adventure.**

**Hopefully you've found this a little intriguing, and you'll stay tuned for what's to come. It's going to be a fun ride, so hopefully you'll join.**

**Don't hesitate to let me know what you think, and as always, pop on over to klarolineepiclove on Tumblr for all kinds of fun hooplah.**

**Until next time, my lovelies!**


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